ed Sir Reginald. "If you
will but consent to become one of our party, you may make use of the
_Flying Fish_ exactly as if she were your own--with one reservation
only, namely, that you do not take us to a cold climate. This cruise is
projected especially with the object of restoring my daughter's health,
and I am informed that pure air and a genial climate are absolutely
necessary for this. But, keeping this in mind, you have my full
permission to map out our route yourself if you please."

"By no means," answered the professor. "That would be the height of
presumption on my part. The wishes and inclinations of all concerned
must be fully considered in the decision of so important a question.
But, of course, I shall be very happy to be allowed to offer
suggestions, or to afford any information that I may happen to possess
in relation to such localities as it may be proposed to visit. By the
way, how many shall we be, and who are the other members of the party?"

"I have not yet decided," answered Sir Reginald. "But I should
naturally prefer to have Lethbridge and Mildmay again, if I can find
them and induce them to join us. Indeed, it was with the object of
ascertaining whether I could learn any news of either of them and of
yourself that I called here to-day."

"Well," said the German, "I can tell you something about them both, for
I saw the colonel only a few days ago, here in town. I met him in the
Park. He was looking very ill, and in reply to my inquiries I learned
that he had been down with typhoid fever, and had only been up and out
again about a week. He said that he was trying to brace himself up to
go away somewhere for change of air, so I have no doubt that you will
find him more than willing to fall in with any proposal you may make to
him. As for Mildmay, I met a man here only yesterday who had seen him a
few days ago at Cowes, on board his yacht, which I understood he had
retained in commission all through the winter. But I also understood
that he was now about to lay her up; and, if so, you will probably find
him also disengaged. A letter addressed to him at the Royal Yacht
Squadron Club House will no doubt find him."

"I will write to him forthwith," said Sir Reginald. "And, by the way,
do you happen to know Lethbridge's address?"

"No, I do not," confessed the professor, apologetically; "but I dare say
we can discover it by inquiring of the steward, here; and if he does not
know it w